Madeline tried to swallow the lump in her throat, remembering the rage that had seized her husband whenever she had mentioned Lord Townsend. Now, it made sense.
“My brother was still on the continent,” Kara continued, “and I didn’t know who to turn to. I knew no one in Town.” She took a deep breath as the memories of that time in her life returned. “As darkness fell, I was still wandering the streets, not knowing what to do or where to go. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, but eventually I found myself in a less than respectable part of town.” The muscles in her jaw tightened, but she held Madeline’s gaze. “When I walked by a tavern, men approached me. They…they must’ve thought…” She swallowed. “I don’t know what would have happened to me if Lord Elton had not come upon us in that moment. He had been in the tavern as well; however, he still remembered his manners.” Swallowing, Kara licked her lips, the fear she had felt that night visible on her face. “When he offered to escort me home, I broke down sobbing, and before I could stop myself, I told him what had happened.” Closing her eyes, Kara smiled. “I expected him to run from me, to simply leave me in the street…”
“But he didn’t,” Madeline finished, remembering what her husband had told her about his friend. He had called him an honourable man, a man who had offered his assistance without agenda, without asking for anything in return, but simply because he cared, because he wanted to help.
“He took me home,” Kara confirmed, “had me cleaned up and assured me that he would take care of everything. I was not to worry.”
“And that’s how you met Sean?” Madeline asked. “He was his valet, was he not?”
A bright smile came to Kara’s face. “He was. To tell you the truth, I do not remember the first time we met as I was lost in my own misery and worried about my future and that of my child. However, Sean tells me that he loved me from the first moment he saw me.” She laughed, a touch of disbelief in her voice. “Within days, he offered for my hand. After everything that had happened, I was weary of men, but there was something in his eyes that…I trusted him. I don’t know why, but I did. He was so sweet and caring, and yet, respectful and considerate.” Biting her lower lip, Kara sighed. “I knew if I was to protect my child, I could not refuse him.” Her gaze settled on Madeline’s. “Ours started out as a marriage of convenience as well, but over time we grew to love each other. The day Collin was born, everything changed. The way Sean watched over me, the way he held my hand and helped me through it all touched my heart in a way no one else ever had…and I loved him.”
Madeline smiled at her. “You two seem very happy. Seeing you together, I never would have thought yours was not a love match.”
Kara shrugged. “Sometimes attraction or even love is instantaneous, and sometimes it grows over time until we wonder how we could have ever looked at that person and not felt as we do now. For Sean and me, it happened in different ways. For him, it only took a matter of minutes. For me, it came with time.”
Madeline nodded. “I’m very happy for you, for the both of you.” Inhaling deeply, she looked at her sister-in-law, trying to ignore the nagging voice in her head. “Your life took a turn you didn’t expect, a turn you didn’t plan, and yet, everything turned out for the best, did it not?”
Kara nodded. “I do not regret what happened with Lord Townsend. Without him, I wouldn’t have my son,” she brushed a gentle hand over his forehead, “and I would never even have met my husband. No, I do not regret what happened.”
Madeline nodded, wondering if she and her husband would ever reach such a point where they would look back at their turbulent lives and smile about the many obstacles they had to overcome to find happiness. Would they find happiness?
“You said that Lord Townsend was the man you wished to marry,” Kara reminded her, her gaze fixed on Madeline’s. “Was he at the ball that night my brother went after you? Did you expect him to propose to you that night?”
Madeline swallowed, “I did. I was certain he would, and I merely wanted to grant him the perfect opportunity to speak his mind and ask for my hand.” Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. “I had no idea what kind of man he was. I never would have expected him to…”
“Of course, you didn’t. How could you?” A soft smile on her face, Kara looked at her. “He fooled me as well. It is not easy to see behind a person’s mask.”
“Your brother did.”
“Because he knew,” Kara objected. “He did not need to suspect, he knew. I suppose that’s why he came after you that night to protect you from a man who would only make you unhappy. He wanted to protect you.” Kara swallowed. “I heard you arguing once. You thought he wanted you for your dowry?” She shook his head. “Although I cannot fault you for thinking so, I can assure you that my brother would never have forced your hand intentionally…especially not for his own selfish reasons. Please, believe me. Believe him.”
Madeline nodded. “I do believe you, and I only doubted him in the beginning. Thank you for telling me this.”
Relieved, Kara turned her attention back to her son while Madeline sank back into the chair by the foot of the bed, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
Indeed, it was a relief to know that her husband had never simply desired her dowry?and to this day, he had proved himself a man of his word as he had never touched a penny of it. However, hearing his reason for coming after her from Kara’s lips also destroyed a silly, girlish fantasy Madeline had secretly entertained: that he had come after her because he was jealous, because he cared for her, because he had wanted her for himself.
Now, Madeline knew that that had not been the case. He had merely acted upon his own sense of honour and duty, protecting a young lady from a man who would be her downfall as he had been his sister’s.
It was gallant.
Honourable.
And yet, for Madeline, it was utterly devastating.
Chapter Thirty-One ? A Change in the Air
November came and went, and Derek found himself torn between relief and frustration.
Although Collin’s health gradually improved, returning colour to his cheeks and giving him a renewed appetite that especially his grandmother watched with delight, the whole family continued to watch him like a hawk for any signs of relapse. Still, Dr. Rosen felt it was safe to return to London, and step by step, the careful optimism turned to open joy at seeing the little boy’s health restored.
While Collin’s smiles and laughter improved everyone’s spirits, Derek could only wish that he and his wife could be equally fortunate with regard to their personal relationship. However, Madeline continued to keep him at a distance. These days she seemed preoccupied, and they hardly spoke. She did not even get angry at him, and he could not recall the last time she had snapped at him for one thing or another. It was as though the woman he had known?and come to love?had vanished, leaving behind an empty shell that moved and spoke, but did not feel.
At least not for him.
Whenever he saw her with Kara or Collin or even his mother, she was different. The smile on her face touched her eyes, and the strain he often detected on her face when she looked at him was curiously absent. With them, she was herself.
But not with him. And day by day, Derek found his old doubts and suspicions return bit by bit as though they had only waited in the shadows for him to reveal a weakness before they came rushing back, ready to attack him.
Had his wife been truthful about Townsend? Had she truly decided against him? Or had she merely convinced herself of it because she knew that?whether she liked it or not?she was now tied to Derek for life?